From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cox & Kings is the longest established
travel company in the world, its history stretching back to 1758
when Richard Cox was
appointed as regimental agent to the Foot Guards. Cox & Kings now thrives as
an independent tour company with offices in the United Kingdom,
India, the United States and
Japan.

Contents

History

Richard Cox, the
founder

Richard Cox 1718-1803, founder of Cox & Kings

Cox was born in Yorkshire in 1718. His father, Joshua, had
made a good living as a lawyer and had moved from his birthplace in
Clent in Worcestershire to
Yorkshire. He then
bought an estate near Quarley in Hampshire. There is little documentary
evidence of the early life of Richard Cox, although he must have
received an excellent education after which he came into the
service of the English General, Lord Ligonier, as a
clerk in the early 1740s. He was clearly exceptionally good at
making important contacts with all echelons of the army and
society, and in 1747 he married Caroline Codrington, daughter of
Sir William Codrington who was an established military figure.

Cox’s career really took off when Lord Ligonier led the Flanders campaigns of the War of the Austrian
Succession. In one letter sent back to London, Richard Cox
makes a demand that “suitable winter provisions and housing should
be made available for the three English companies” and he became
ever increasingly entwined with the organisation of provisions and
the general welfare of the troops. Ligonier, in turn, thought the
world of his 'beloved Mr Cox', making him his private secretary in
the late 1740s. Ligonier went on to become the Colonel of the First Foot Guards
(Grenadier Guards) in 1757, and rewarded Richard Cox with the
post of 'military agent' after the incumbent died in May 1758. Thus
was born Cox & Co, the forebear of Cox & Kings.

There were about a dozen main agents working for the army at the
time and each Regimental Colonel chose one to serve their troops.
There was not a strict code for the role of an agent; in essence
they arranged the payment of officers and men, organised the
provision of clothing, acted as a go between for the buying and
selling of officers’ commissions and acted upon any special
requests from the regimental adjutant. This ranged from the shipment of
personal effects to the requisition of weapons or supplies. Cox had
taken on the most prestigious infantry regiment, and the 63rd
Regiment and the Royal Artillery soon followed suit.

One of the reasons for Cox’s success was his ability to seek out
solvent and creative business partners. In 1765 he went into
partnership with Mr Drummond, whose family ran the London bank. Cox
& Drummond moved from Cox's house in Albemarle
Street to Craig’s Court, just off the present day Whitehall. By the mid 1760s
Cox & Drummond had blossomed to become agents for the Dragoons
and eight more Infantry regiments. Success was built on the
company’s reputation for keen attention to the welfare of its
regiments. In 1763, for instance, when Robert Clive stormed
the fortress of Gheria in India, Cox successfully negotiated with
the East India
Company who had 'borrowed' stores from Cox's clients, the Royal
Artillery. He arranged to receive repayment from the East India
Company by way of plunder from Gheria. He had this converted into
silver in India and shipped back
to London where the funds could be reunited with the Royal
Artillery.

Back home, Cox's house on Albemarle Street (opposite the present
day Ritz Hotel) was
famous for its raucous and eccentric parties. During his later
life, his cellar records show that over 240 bottles of port were
consumed in a year with other drinks of choice being claret (44 cases in stock), sherry (86 cases), Madeira (20 cases) and others
including champagne, Málaga, Burgundy and Cape. In addition, he was a
patron of the arts, being closely acquainted with David Garrick and
other notable actors of the time, and was a founding financial
investor in the rebuilding of the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. He was also a
generous benefactor to St George’s Hospital on Hyde Park
Corner (now the Lanesborough Hotel).

The records of the family estate at Quarley show that Cox spent
over £3,000 per annum running it, much of it lavished on his wife.
He often invited people to the estate for weekends to pursue the
typical living of a landed country gentleman. It is clear that both
in London and the country, Cox was a polished and generous host
with a highly engaging personality, and it is little wonder that he
was able to make such good connections within London society.

By 1768, Cox & Drummond was flourishing with a turnover of
£345,000 per annum. During the 1770s the company continued to grow,
aided by war in the American Colonies and the ever present threat
of invasion from France. Cox repeated his good fortune with
business partners, taking in Mr Mair upon Drummond’s death in 1772,
followed by his own son Richard Bethnell Cox in 1779 and then Mr
Greenwood in 1783. It was during this time that the company
expanded its banking interests, offering loans and accounts to
exclusive members of London's elite. Frederick, Duke of York, introduced Cox’s
business partner Mr Greenwood to his father George III, as 'Mr
Greenwood, the gentlemen who keeps my money' Greenwood replied
rather cheekily that, 'I think it is rather his Royal Highness who
keeps my money,' to which George III burst out in laughter and
said, 'Do you hear that Frederick? Do you hear that? You are the
gentleman who keeps Mr Greenwood's money!'

The company was thriving by the time of the outbreak of war with
France in 1793 employing some 35 clerks. In 1795 they served 14
regiments of cavalry, 64 infantry regiments and 17 militia
regiments, becoming the largest military agent for the army.
Richard Cox died in August 1803, leaving his grandson Richard Henry
Cox firmly established, with Mr Greenwood as controlling partner.
Cox's longevity as a military agent had made the army dependent on
his services for the smooth running and organisation of a busy and
stretched military serving all around the globe. Cox lived in a
time when Britain was radically changing. Rigid social structures
were breaking down and enterprising people could make themselves
exceptionally wealthy. He was the epitome of those driving the
London economy, generously investing in a multitude of people,
ideas and commerce.

The
19th century and onwards

Military officers, more especially in their earlier years, are
not noted for the exercise of strict economy in their private
expenditure, and when the imprudent or unwary subaltern after an
unsuccessful attempt to retrieve his position by a desperate resort
to Epsom Downs, or
to money lenders, saw ruin staring him in the face, it was to
Craig's Court that he instinctively bent his steps. There he was
sure of an indulgent hearing, and of such material help as the case
might admit of, and often when the strict exigencies of business
compelled the firm to harden their hearts against the appeal, the
generosity of an individual partner would come to the rescue, and
by timely aid, accompanied perhaps by a paternal warning for the
future, would thus save a young life from wreck.

It was due to these high levels of service that Cox & Co
grew through the 18th and 19th centuries. Timely alliances with the
great banking families such as the Hammerlseys and Greenwoods
secured an established position in London, and by the end of the
19th century most Regiments used Cox & Co as their agents. As
the empire grew, Cox & Co met the demand for officers to be
looked after.

The company set up five branches in India between 1905 and 1911,
supplementing those in Alexandria and Egypt (1919 and 1920) and Rangoon (1921).

When the Great War began Cox & Co employed some 180 staff,
of which one third joined the army. During the Great War some
250,000 men were on their books, 50,000 cheques were cleared a day
and a special department was set up to deal with the influx of
American soldiers in 1917. By the end of the war some 4,500 worked
for the firm.

In October 1922, Cox & Co bought Henry S. King Bank, who
were had a large network in India. They also moved into new offices
in Pall
Mall.

In 1923, Cox & Co were still suffering from the downturn in
business caused by the surrender of the Germans in 1918. They were
forced to sell to Lloyds
Bank.

During the 1930s, Lloyds sold their Indian interests to Grindlays Bank
who also took the Travel and Shipping Agencies also which continued
to flourish in India. When a change in British banking regulations
meant Grindlays had to sell off non-banking interests, a
partnership between Ajit Kerker and Anthony Good bought Cox &
Kings. The company remains independent to this day and is run by
CEO Peter Kerkar.

The USA office was opened in June, 1988 in New York, NY. In
June, 1998 the USA office was moved to Tampa, FL. The USA office is
run by Nathaniel Waring, President.